Arctic
Government Eyes Opportunities as Greenland Melts
Life is difficult in a country that is 80 percent ice.
That's why 58,000-person Greenland has a different stake in climate change than the rest of us: warming could lead to economic growth.
The ice cap covering most of the country has begun to melt, uncovering oil and gas deposits in the Arctic Ocean. The Economist reports that the Arctic could hold 90 billion barrels of oil and 47 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, most near Greenland.
The government's interest in thawing areas has increased since June, when Greenland was promised gradual autonomy from Denmark, its colonial overseer since 1721. Greenland's government now controls the destiny of its resources, a situation recently profiled in The Economist.
Greenland's lack of economic opportunities fuels social problems. Unemployment is high and educational levels are low. Most export revenues come from fishing, but the government relies on aid from Denmark amounting to about $11,000 per Greenlander per year. Widespread depression, alcoholism, suicide and domestic violence help place Greenland's life expectancy below that of many other developing countries.
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